Last year I was called upon to conduct a funeral ceremony for my friend’s relative in Jakarta City of Indonesia. In our moral values among the Chinese is a filial piety, so worship their ancestors from generation to generation has been passed down since young. Chinese descendants generally believe that their ancestors passed on the good deeds will enable future generations to stay good life and vice versa. The concept of salvation ancestors is therefore based on the belief that the bereaved family members of a deceased have a continued existence and possess the ability to influence the fortune of the living.
The deceased was an old lady who came from Pu Tian County in Fujian Province, China. Inside the mourning hall, it was the local practice to place two incense urns for praying purpose. One set for the immediate family members and the other set for friends and relatives to put joss sticks. A Spiritual Enlightenment Ceremony was conducted at night.
Before conducting a funeral send off, it was the local practice to break open a grain of watermelon in front of a coffin vehicle, indicated that the dead about to regenerate new life. It was noted that Indonesia has the serious traffic jam problem, but it took less than an hour to reach its crematorium which about 10 km in distance from the funeral parlour. The reason being that there was no traffic police to lead the way, but it was the local who born to make their final salute to the dead. Drivers stop their vehicles automatically so that to allow the coffin vehicle to move forward. At the same time, many pedestrians were very helpful to direct the traffic.
Ritual of salvation ancestors commonly consist of offerings to a deceased and to provide for its welfare in the afterlife, which is envisioned as being similar to the earthly life. Beside delicious meals are being offered, hell money and paper effigies are the most essential items and burning of such objects can never spend impetuously.
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